Money’s tight for a lot of people right now, and a second income stream can take the edge off. The good news is you don’t need a brand new idea or a business degree to get started. Most successful side hustles use formats that already work, so the real task is picking one that fits around your existing life. Here are seven worth a look.
Reselling Old and Refurbished Goods
Clearing out your wardrobe or garage and putting items on Vinted or Facebook Marketplace is one of the simplest ways to bring in extra cash. Some people take it further by buying items cheaply at car boot sales or charity shops, giving them a clean or a small repair, then reselling at a profit. The costs are low: a phone camera and a bit of patience is often all you need. Postage and packaging do eat into margins though, so factor that in when you set your prices.
Digital Products
Templates, ebooks, planners and printables are appealing because you make the thing once and can sell it again and again. A wedding planner spreadsheet or a set of budgeting templates costs nothing to reproduce after the first sale. Platforms like Etsy make distribution straightforward. The challenge is the initial effort of building something people actually want, and standing out among a lot of similar listings. Some individuals may also look at creating online guides for niche subjects such as matched betting or value betting for instance. There are endless possibilities for digital products!
Pet Care
Dog walking and pet sitting suit anyone who likes animals and doesn’t mind an outdoor job. Rates typically sit around £15 an hour for walking and closer to £22 an hour for sitting, though this varies by area. Some local councils set limits on how many dogs one person can walk at a time, so it’s worth checking the rules where you live before advertising your services widely.
Delivery and Driving
Apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat let you work flexible hours delivering food by bike, scooter or car. If you own a car and don’t use it every day, renting it out through a car-sharing platform is another option that needs almost no ongoing effort once it’s set up. Fuel, vehicle wear and insurance requirements are all worth weighing against the pay before committing.
DIY and Handyman Services
Flat-pack furniture assembly, basic gardening and cleaning are all in steady demand, particularly in areas with a lot of house moves or rentals. Someone who takes this seriously and builds a regular client base can earn up to £5,000 a month, though that’s towards the top end and takes time to reach. Liability insurance is sensible if you’re working in other people’s homes, since accidents do happen even to careful tradespeople.
Mystery Shopping and Paid Opinions
Mystery shopping pays anywhere from £4 to £40 per assignment, depending on the task and how much you need to spend upfront (which usually gets reimbursed). Online surveys tend to pay small amounts in points or vouchers rather than cash, so they’re better as a top-up than a main earner. Focus groups pay considerably better, often between £40 and £200 for an hour or two of your time and opinions.
Tutoring
If you’re confident in a subject, whether that’s GCSE maths, A-level chemistry or a language, tutoring pays well for the hours involved. Rates run from around £15 to £40 an hour, with £20 being a fairly typical average. You don’t need formal teaching qualifications for most private tutoring work, though a good grasp of the exam board specifications helps, and platforms exist to connect you with students if you don’t want to find them yourself.
Choosing What Suits You
With all of these, the barrier to entry is genuinely low. None of them require you to invent something new or take on serious financial risk. The better approach is to think honestly about your available time, your skills and what you can tolerate doing repeatedly, then pick one lane and stick with it long enough to see whether it actually pays off. Someone with a car and free evenings might lean towards delivery driving, while someone with strong subject knowledge and patience might do better with tutoring.
A final point worth bearing in mind: some of these activities have legal requirements attached. Childminding at home, for instance, requires Ofsted registration and a DBS check, and certain pet care work is subject to council licensing rules. It’s sensible to check what applies to your chosen hustle before you start taking money for it, rather than finding out after the fact.
Start small, keep track of what you earn against the time you put in, and adjust from there. Most people who make side hustles work long term didn’t get it right on the first attempt, they simply kept refining until something stuck.
